Who Makes Up Your Family?

Sheryl sent me this picture of Bruce with Robert and Zach. They took off Tuesday with Zach’s Boy Scout troop for a seven-day canoe trip. It only takes one look at the picture to know that they are all related. Unfortunately they have had rain two of the three days they have been out. It is supposed to rain today too. Bruce always tells guests that the weather they get on vacation depends on the life they have led during the past year. I wonder what that says about him.


Meanwhile the lodge carries on as usual. This past week and next week Tom and Jan Daniel’s family has had a reunion for 19 of them. The purpose is to celebrate Tom and Jan’s 60th wedding anniversary. Every five years the entire clan assembles here to celebrate. They first came up here in 1969 for Tom’s family reunion. It was the first summer Bruce and I had been married. Tom and Jan alone or with various of their children and grandchildren have visited us 24 times over the years. We even ran into them once in Chichicastenango, Guatemala. (I had to look that up to spell it correctly.)

I have taken up a new hobby. Since we moved the number of boxes devoted to old family pictures in our home has multiplied It is like a message from on high that maybe I ought to try to organize the genealogy of the family. I went and bought a program called Family Tree Maker complete with instructions. Bruce feels that I am crazy but we will see what happens.

The Kerfoot family tree will be easy. Someone years before me actually gathered it all up in a book of which we have a copy. Even the Spunner family (Justine’s) has a fair amount of information easily obtainable. Both my maternal and paternal families are woefully lacking in information. I am only the second general born in this country on my mother’s side and the first on my father’s side. Nothing like a good mystery to keep me busy.

The real problem is that I am not interested in filling in blanks on a family tree chart. I want to know the stories of these people’s lives. For example Bruce’s grandfather George Kerfoot was a president of Hamline University in the St. Paul. He was a minister and they were social very correct. They had four boys and one daughter. During the Depression Justine and Bill were desperately poor. The house Grandpa and Grandma Kerfoot lived in need to be reroofed so Bill and Justine came down to do the job. It might have been the first time that Grandma Kerfoot met her new daughter-in-law.

At any rate during those years, there was no way that Justine could have been described as social correct. She came down in her bib overalls and climbed up to help with the roofing project. Then to add insult to injury Justine took a break by having a cigarette on the roof. Grandma Kerfoot reacted the only way her generation could. She took to her bed.

Over the years Grandma Kerfoot came to appreciate her unorthodox daughter-in-law. When she lay dying, Grandma asked to speak with Justine. None of the four adult boys but only Justine was asked to always look after daughter Margaret. The promise given was never forgotten.

Summer Waters

As the picture shows, Bruce got out fishing for a day. He and Guide Jon Schei went up to Northern Light Lake. They each caught two walleyes over 25” long. The one Bruce is holding was the largest at 32”. I think he is pretty happy with it. Both he and Jon were fishing with 4 lb. test line which makes things a little more interesting. They had broken lines from northern strikes (no leaders) but did not have any walleyes break off from trying to muscle them in. Needless to say, their big walleyes are still swimming around in the lake. Even so Bruce brought home enough smaller walleyes for several nice meals. The smaller walleyes eat a lot better than the bigger ones do.


I am watching my garden coming up nicely. It should! Bruce built me some brand new beds and filled them with manure from the stables. I have already brought over chives and parsley to the lodge. Next week I will have broccoli to bring over. I get the broccoli in plants and will have fresh until September. The parsley also comes in plants and will supply us well into September then I will cut every leaf off and dry it for dried flakes all winter.

Every year I have one failure. My most consistent failure is basil and this year was no exception. On the coldest night we made a tent over the basil with a sleeping bag and a plastic sheet. I must have missed one night because eventually I was down to two scrawny plants. After babying them for about 10 days, some critter came and ate them. So I broke down and bought a dozen plants in town. I don’t think they will freeze but who knows what the animals will do.

Since today is officially summer, I was thinking about my favorite things that happen during the summer around the lodge. High on my list is the front patio overlooking the lake. We had a porch for many years but Lee was the one who got us to build a real patio. Every day that is halfway decent, will find that meals on patio are always popular. On Tuesdays we make pizza in the wood-fired oven. The managers are out there with everyone else eating pizza and letting the sun warm our backs. The evenings on the porch are just heaven. Food always tastes better when you can watch the lake while eating.

Another favorite activity is just to take a boat ride. I do it much less that you would expect but it is still wonderful. Last Friday we took a ride down the lake to the Canadian side to look for remains from the old town of LeBlaine. We didn’t find much but the ride down and back was worth it.

Last fall when we were in Venice, we ate our breakfasts (tea and a roll) along the Grand Canal. Just to watch the variety of traffic on the canal was great entertainment. It was everything from picking up garbage to tourist gondolas to water taxis. There is always something interesting to see.

What is it that draws us all to the water?

It Truly is June

Bruce and I are still getting used to living in the Tucker Lake house. Our long (five mile) commute is not easy. I am used to getting stuff like food from the lodge kitchen. When I forget to pick up something, the drive back is a pain in the neck. So now I have lists in my pockets.


We had our first “Porch Pot Luck” last night. Tom and Melissa built a wonderful screened in porch as part of this house. About three times a summer, they would invite a group of friends and neighbors over for a potluck. We jokingly say that in the final contract for the house there was some very fine printing stipulating that we had to continue the potlucks FOREVER. So last night was a first one. We had an Italian theme with about 25 people. It went well but I was nervous which is stupid because I know everyone who came.

Last week I was driving down the Gunflint side road after lunch. Just ahead of me I saw a lynx. The animal is just not something we see every day. I was excited. Then yesterday Bruce saw a wolf on the Tucker Lake side road. Again for all the years we have driven around here, it is still fun to see some of these elusive animals.

The aquatic plants are growing up. As a result the moose have appeared in the ponds along the Gunflint Trail. As I drive along, suddenly there will be a bunch of cars parked on the side of the road. Everyone is out looking and taking pictures. You just know that there is a moose (or several) in a pond

Fishing has been very good both on Gunflint and Saganaga. Jon Schei went to Northern Light Lake and caught a 22 lb and a 16 lb northern plus a 30 inch walleye. The father and son guests told me that they had seen this kind of fishing on TV shows but never thought they would get to do it. Adam and Dennis have both be having good lucky too. It is just amazing how the fishing has been so good. Adam even got two 14” crappies on Saganaga.

I must tell you that Bruce and I went fishing on Tucker Lake one day for about 40 minutes in the middle of a sunny afternoon with dead calm. As you might expect, it was more fishing than catching. Bruce also said he couldn’t remember exactly where he used to fish on the lake. We are going to have to get out more. Lee’s Grant and Mae will be coming up this summer and expect Grandpa to help them catch some fish. Luckily Grandma has no obligation for fish catching.

Lee and Eva are ready to have the grand opening of the canopy tour/zip line this Friday. We are too busy to get down there ourselves. So my plan is to convince all of you to go down and cheer them on for us. This weekend they have some bookings but you know how new businesses start slowly. They need some people to show up for encouragement. Plus I can guarantee that the trip down the various zips will be great fun.

How Did June Get Here So Fast?

The picture today is another bird picture from Sheryl. She took it at Gunflint and it is a Baltimore Oriole. Neither Bruce nor I have ever seen one here. In case you are wondering about Sheryl’s bird pictures, she got a new camera and has been really enjoying it. I have a bunch of wonderful pictures from her.


Ronnie Smith is popping flowers in the ground as we speak. Just give us two weeks and there will be a burst of color all over Gunflint. Things slowed down a bit last night as we had clear skies and a FROST. This is really late. Usually we are finished with frosts here by the first of June. At our Tucker Lake home, Bruce and I covered the basil with a sleeping bag and a piece of plastic. I am going to go out and take it all off after the blog is finished.

It may be clear skies today, but over the weekend we had some nasty weather. The wind blew and the heavens opened with rain. It was good to get the rain but some nice gentle showers would have been nicer than pouring down rains. Also the wind took our power out for about 4 hours. At least it was during daylight so the repair crew could see what they were doing. It is now really rare for us to lose the power for such a long period of time.

Fishing has been good. Jon Schei was out with a fishing party last week on Gunflint. They brought in a nice 31” walleye along with other fish. Don’t ask me where it was caught or what the lure was. That information is all stamped TOP SECRET. We have also had some of our staff out fishing with good luck. Bonnie was commenting on how great it is to have staff exploring the area. Our guests have been doing their bit fishing. Last night we had a couple bring in a nice stringer of bass. She caught the biggest one and he caught the most. The fish looked to be about 3 pound smallmouth bass. It will be a nice dinner when they get home.

Bruce spent two days down in the Twin Cities helping Lee build a deck. Lee and Eva are opening a new canopy tour/zipline between Belle Plaine and Henderson. The area is adjacent to the Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway (or some name like that). They had an administrative building put up but needed a deck around it. Lee gave Bruce a couple of his staff to help with the building project. Bruce brought down the tools. In two days time the 75-year old man worked the two twenty-some year-old boys to the ground. Lee enjoyed pointing that out to the two younger men several times.

The canopy tour will be opening on June 14th. If you have ridden ours here at Gunflint, Lee and Eva’s is the same but different. They have a website up called kerfootcanopytour.com. On the site they have more detailed information about location and times of operation. Last weekend I visited the location and it is going to be amazing. At several points the zip goes across a 125-foot deep valley. Be sure to look at Bruce’s deck too.

Planting Time

It was wonderful to see the ice go out on the 17th. The next day was relatively calm so Jason brought the two docks over from winter storage. Was that a smart move! On the 19th the east wind kicked up for three days. I can’t remember when I have seen such a strong wind with huge white caps on the waves. We had no one out in boats for three days. With the dock hooked up, all our boats just bobbed through the winds.


During the three days of storm we also got over 2 inches of rain. It came slowly over each day so the ground got soaked and there was not a big run off. Things had been getting pretty dry around here and we were all happy to see the rain.

The clouds started to breakup yesterday. This morning it was clear skies and lots of sunshine. After the rain and overcast, it looks particularly good outside today. Bruce and I took an early morning walked down the road. I must admit that at 5:15 I am not quite awake but it felt so good to be out that I couldn’t complain. We didn’t go very far but there were two bunnies out and about ahead of us.

Yesterday I was able to spend some time working on my vegetable garden. Bruce is quicker at building the beds than I am at filling them. Some of the perennials from the Gunflint garden will be multiplying over here like chives and rhubarb. On Friday more vegetables in flats will be arriving. There will be broccoli, basil, tomatoes, raspberries, strawberries and parsley. Then the seeds will go in for carrots, lettuce, zucchini, green beans, potatoes, and onions. This first year will be a little bit of an experiment as we figure out what goes best where.

Friday will also bring some flowers. I have potentilla and burning bush to plant. Eight hanging flower baskets will go around. Some day lilies and hostas from Gunflint will be divided to reproduce over here. Then there will be a bunch of annuals to add quick color. For several years the flowers will be a work in progress. I just love all the color they add.

Not only are flowers arriving for me, but Ronnie Smith has a huge number of flowers arriving for the lodge. Yesterday she and her two helpers finished getting the pole barn ready to store the flowers until they are planted. The Mantis tiller has been working overtime to get the beds ready. All the protective burlap and chicken wire is off until next winter. By Tuesday there will be an army of staff planting.

This weekend Bruce and I are going down to Northfield, Minnesota. Our oldest grandson, Tanner, is graduating from St. Olaf College. Many of you will remember him since he has waited tables at the lodge to help pay for his schooling. As soon as graduation is over, Tanner starts a career job with Enterprise Rent A Car. I think I can remember starting my first job after college. We won’t talk about how long ago that was.

Flash From Gunflint

I no sooner wrote that the ice was still on Gunflint when Mother Nature changed her mind.  Yesterday (5/17) the wind blew the ice around until the lake was clear.  Neighbors from the east end kept calling me in the afternoon to say the ice was here or there.  Finally the ice was gone.  Now even less than a day after the ice is gone, I have trouble remembering what the lake looked like when it was covered with ice.  The same thing happens when the lake freezes over in the fall and I have trouble remembering open water.   Check our web cam to see the water flowing freely over Gunflint.

Spring Moves Along

The big question this week is when is the ice going out. Lots of wind has helped to move it along. Right now I would say that the west end of Gunflint is out. Shifting winds have moved what ice is left around the lake. Today and tomorrow we have 60% chances for thunderstorms if you believe the weather forecast. That could weaken the ice enough to let the wind finish moving it out. Believe me, we are all ready for open water. There are lots of fish in the lake to be caught.


This week Wolf Point Trail lived up to its name. I was looking out an upstairs window one morning when right on the road a wolf walked by. He was a big gray wolf which is why we decided it was a male. The animal was very relaxed and in no rush to move long. Bruce and I both got a good look at him.

Last Saturday morning we spent a couple hours up at Chik-Wauk planting trees – red pine and spruce. Only six of us appeared and I know why. It was a perfectly horrible day. Between wind, rain and snow, it was a day we should have been inside looking out. Even so, we got a couple hundred trees planted. The most interesting part of the morning was seeing how many trees are coming up. They range in size from six inches to a couple of feet. The differences in size come from a successful planting effort for several years. By lunch time we were all ready to go home. Just stopping moving to eat chilled us all down. A good hot shower felt great when I got back to the house.

We have done a little remodeling in the main dining room. Against the south wall (opposite the windows), we have added three booths. Bonnie is in the process of making cushions for the benches. It will offer a nice change of tables for guests.

The staff for the canopy tour has just finished an intense training program. When the trainers first arrived they did a detailed inspection of the course itself to make sure that it adhered to all the national standards. Then for the next three days the training ran from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Throughout this period, a lot of emphasis is placed on safety. Jason Merrill, who oversees the course, is very fussy that everything is done is a safe manner, every time.

The riding stables are also open for the summer again. It is always fun to get the horses back. Mandy goes down every to pick the horses she wants. Many are repeats from previous years. This gives her a good base to start training the new horses. Just like Jason, she is very insistent that people have a safe riding experience.

So here we are up and running for another summer. The winter just flew by and I expect that this summer will go by just as fast.

Changes in the Woods and Waters

Gunflint Lake is still covered with ice. It is quite a change from the last two years when the ice was out in March. It will still probably be 10 days or so before the ice goes out. A lot depends on the wind. Right now there is a large lead of open water from the Cross River. That will erode the entire west bay of the lake. When we have a lot of open water in that bay and the ice is black everywhere and the wind comes from the west end, then the ice will start to move. If all the elements are perfectly aligned, the ice can be cleared from the entire lake in a day or so.


The wind is coming up today. That will help. It did not freeze last night. That’s another plus. We had some rain showers yesterday and drizzling today. It all works to soften the ice. Once things start to move, the ice can go out very quickly.

Animals are starting to move around more. Some guests saw the first bear of the season up near the end of the Trail. Some other guests saw a moose cow and what appeared to be a very young calf – probably this spring’s young. At any rate Mama was keep close track of it. In spite of the resident lynx at the lodge, I saw three snowshoe hares while driving out the side road last night. The deer are around but look very thin. Some grass should start to green up soon and that will help. I think the fawns will be very small this year. Warm sunshine after they are born would go a long way toward keeping them healthy.

Last night around 7:30 we had an interesting combination of temperatures on the lake. The ice was cold, the air was warm and a little rain was coming down. The result was a mist rising off the ice. I stood and watched as the mist went right along the north shore of the lake toward the east. You could actually see it moving along. Then it spread over most of the lake for a short time. It was a little eerie to watch.

Most of the snow is gone from the woods. The waters are filling up the creeks, rivers and swamps. This in turn is flowing into the lakes. I can see the level of Gunflint coming up. My gauge is the northeast corner of the main dock. Two logs and the flat board are still out of water. It is going up every day just a little. Bruce thinks the entire dock will be covered with water. We will see.

We spent Monday night and Tuesday in Duluth with Don and Marilyn. Upper Lakes Foods who sells us most of our food was having a show of most of their venders. Tasting in the evening was extensive but easy since most of the food fit into the appetizer or light meal category. It was Tuesday morning that got to your stomach. We have to taste to learn anything but at 9:00 a.m. you can go from apple pie to garlic sausage to steak. My stomach is not really comfortable with the random mixture of food and the timing of the meal. At any rate, we all survived and found a few things to add to our menu.

Saturday is the opening of the walleye season. With a little luck a couple of the small lakes will be open but don’t expect to hear of anyone getting a boat load of fish.

Turkey and Croatia

As you can tell from the picture, we are home again. Our trip was divided between two weeks in Turkey and one week in Croatia. There were four couples during the Turkey portion of our trip. After spending a couple of days in Istanbul, we took a flight to Izmir on the west coast of AsianTurkey. From there we visited the restored city of Ephesus which is just amazing. It is hard to believe that we are walking the same streets as St. Paul walked. Of special interest was the exhibit of terrace homes. There are six homes with mosaics and frescoes all dating from ancient times. To protect them, you walk on a stairway made of clear plastic. Of course, the best known view of the city is the restored façade of the library. This was our third visit and every time we get to see and learn more about this great restoration.

The next stop was six day cruise on the Aegean and Mediterranean on south coast of Turkey. Our boat was a 100 foot wooden boat with six staterooms. For seven days we cruised in and out of inlets and bays. We stopped and explored small towns. The picture is of our boat anchored at one of the towns while we climbed to explore an ancient fortress about the city. The week was totally decadent because the crew of five provided for our every need.

One highlight of the cruise was visiting a shipyard where a boat similar to ours was being built. OSHA would not be happy with the working conditions. The ladders to get onto the partially completed boat were a little rickety for me but we all got up and down with no problem. This 100 foot boat was started in November and its first cruise is the beginning of June. The place was a beehive of workers. There was no panic but lots of working being done.

The last part of the trip was two nights in Urgup to visit the fairy chimneys and underground city in the area. Our hotel was a cave hotel where the rooms had been carved right into the rock cliffs of the area. The hotel was totally unique and very comfortable. We were scheduled to take a hot air balloon ride but rain, fog and wind forced the cancellation of that trip.

From Kayseri we caught a plane back to Istanbul. There was a day and a half to wander the streets of this fascinating city. One of our must stops was the spice market. Bruce and I brought home a supply of spices to last a bit. Every time I use some of these spices it reminds me of the ancient Spice Road going through Turkey and first introducing Europe to the spices of Asia.

Patty and Mike Feeney continued with us on for a week in Croatia. Bruce found a beautiful apartment for us with a large balcony overlooking the Adriatic. With our car we explored the coast line, the city of Split, the Krka (don’t ask me how to pronounce this) National Park and one of the nearby islands. With only the four of us to set the schedule, it was a perfect ending to our trip.

Of course, during the entire trip we kept track of things back home – especially the snow. Gunflint got about 25 inches of snow during April. It was a huge amount but Duluth got 50 inches! There is still a foot of snow in the woods and the ice on Gunflint is just starting to look gray. Unless something happens very, very quickly the lake will not be fully open when walleye fishing starts. Also all the lakes in the area are going to have high water for a while. It’s quite a change from the last two years when the ice went out on Gunflint in March.

The returning birds are adjusting to the late spring. Some mallards tried to land on a shallow puddle of water on the ice. You could almost see the surprise on their faces when the water was only a couple inches deep.

Last week there was a group of seven eagles on the ice. Two were mature and the others were yearlings without the distinctive coloring of bald eagles. Up at the end of the Trail several mama moose with yearlings have also been seen. Almost everyone claims to have heard a loon calling but who knows where they are landing with ice everywhere.

When I write next week, there will be great changes in the ice and snow along the Gunflint Trail.

Slowly Spring Comes

Bruce and I had a great Easter weekend. Lee and Eva came up with Grant and Mae. They were our first house guests in the Tucker Lake house. The kids wanted to explore everywhere. We could not do too much outside since there is still a lot of snow. The snow, however, did allow them to build a snow fort with their father. They also tramped down to the lake. Inside activities included candle making at the lodge and Easter egg coloring. On Sunday morning we had the big egg hunt. All the eggs were found without too much trouble. We used the eggs for egg salad sandwiches for the managers during lunch.


The pile of boxes on our garage is slowly dwindling. I try to do a few each day. We have found most of the necessities of life which takes the pressure off. There are also some things that should have been thrown during the packing process. They are going this time. The idea is to use opaque garbage bags so Bruce can’t ask why I didn’t throw that out instead of bringing it to Tucker Lake to throw out.

Our weather has been typical spring changes. We had a little rain on Saturday morning. It was enough to soften all the snow on the road leading in to our house. Greg came and plowed all the slush out so that we have bare road in a few places. On Sunday morning there were snow squalls coming through. The north wind was howling. When I drove out to go down to the lodge for lunch, there was a small tree across the side road. Luckily it was small enough so that I could drag it off to the edge of the road. Lee says that I am a real pioneer mother now.

On Wednesday we are leaving on vacation. This time we are off for two weeks in Turkey and one week in Split, Croatia. For the entire time there will be no thoughts of unpacked boxes or lodge reservations. Although my cell phone works overseas, at $2.89 per minute plus taxes in Turkey, don’t call me. I’ll call you.

The last weekend of April we are helping Lee and Eva in their booth at the Midwest Mountaineering Outdoor Adventure Expo, April 26-28. The Expo is held at Midwest Mountaineering’s store at 309 Cedar Ave. South in Minneapolis.

But why are Lee and Eva exhibiting at the Expo? On Memorial Day weekend they are opening the Kerfoot Canopy Tour near Henderson, Minnesota. It will be a state of the art canopy tour with 8 zips. Some of them will be crossing a deep ravine. You can get more information from their website at www.kerfootcanopytour.com. Bruce and I are really excited about this new project for Lee and Eva. It is being built by the same company that built our canopy tour. When you plan your visit to the canopy tour, don’t forget that the Minnesota River National Scenic Byway is adjacent to the canopy tour. Also the towns of Henderson and Belle Plain are great places to explore or get a bite to eat.

Time to pack for vacation. I’ll write again when we get home.

It Is Only Unpacking Now

We are moved to Tucker Lake! At any rate almost everything was transferred from one house to the other by 4:00 Monday (18th). Unpacking is a little different story. Monday night was our first night in the new house. I got the bed made okay. Then it was time to work on dinner. I had planned on brats and mac and cheese. The brats were going to be cooked on the George Foreman grill. It was the mac and cheese that was the problem. I couldn’t find any sauce pans. So I ended up cooking the pasta in a frying pan. By then I was so tired that I really didn’t care. Bruce was just as tired as I so both of us tossed and turned together all night. One of the items missing in action was our alarm clock. Neither of us wanted to oversleep the next morning. The alarm clock didn’t surface until Thursday.


At this point it is a matter of unpacking boxes and remembering where everything got put. One of the more painful aspects of the move is that our old house was on one floor. This house has a basement and a second story. I have only fallen once on the steps. It was more embarrassing than painful. Lee and Eva and the kids are coming to visit next weekend. Most everything should at least be out of boxes by then.

In spite of how busy this move is, life around us seems to continue on. Bonnie has been seeing a lynx around the outfitters. Last weekend one of the guests was on the sliding hill with his son. The lynx ran past him chasing a snowshoe hare. What an exciting thing to see! I am afraid that all the snowshoe hares around us have fallen prey to the lynx.

Sheryl sent me this picture to remind me of what our ice was like last year at this time. Right now you can drive cars on the lake and the ice is about 30 inches thick. The picture was taken on March 12, 2012. She and Bonnie left from the Cross River bridge to canoe to Magnetic Lake which they thought had open water. When they got to the narrows, they saw that Magnetic was filled with rotten ice. You couldn’t walk on it and you couldn’t paddle though it.

Right now it looks like the ice could be off Gunflint sometime during the beginning of May. That is a bit of a guess on my part but nothing has even started to melt on the ice. The Gunflint Trail is bare and dry. Some side roads have most of their snow off while others still have a covering of snow and ice. We are getting melting on sunny days but there is still a lot of snow in the woods. All our cross country ski trails are in excellent shape.

My neighbor, Fred, tells me that we have received just over 65 inches of snow this winter. Combine that with our cold weather (down to minus 30 and more) and it was a much more normal winter for us.

The Move is Coming

Last night we got about 4 inches of new snow. Suddenly everything looks white and fresh. I usually don’t think that the first night of Daylight Saving Time will give us more snow but what can we do. After all the activity between the Trout Derby and the Mush for the Cure, this snowfall makes the entire lake look white and new. It will also make all the trails sparkle with new snow.


As Bruce mentioned on our homepage, he did get a close haircut. It looks pretty good and we were amazed at how much it has grown out even in a couple of days. He went to town yesterday for a talk at the ACA. It was funny how many people did not recognize him.

Of course, the races are the big thing for the Mush for the Cure. This year they had 16 mushers in the short course and 24 mushers in the long course. Teams came from New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Idaho just to name a few.

Bruce and I walked down to see the dogs take off. Occasionally, I have people mention to me how cruel it is for the dogs to have to pull the sleds. I wish everyone could see the dogs waiting to take off for the race. Every single dog was barking and straining to start going. No dog wanted to be left behind. They all just shot out when the race started.

Part of the deal is for the mushers to dress in pink. Here is a picture of our guide and musher Adam. He came in third in the race and won the ribbon for the best costume. He also raised over $900 in donations. We are all very proud of him. All the mushers devote a lot of time and work to participate in this event.

You may be wondering about our big move. It’s coming. On the 18th we will start to take stuff over to Tucker Lake. Meanwhile our house looks awful. I am not an immaculate housekeeper but we do like things picked up. Well, this house is filled with boxes – both empty and full. Bruce and I are wondering how we managed to accumulate so much stuff. The move is forcing us to get rid of a bunch of stuff either through the thrift store or the garbage. It is almost embarrassing how much stuff there is.

The only saving thought is that Tom and Melissa’s stuff in our new house is just as overpowering as ours is. They will be moving out on the 15th and going down near the Twin Cities. The pull of grandchildren was just too strong for them to ignore.

Living on Tucker Lake is going to be a new experience for us. We are going to have to commute to work. All these years you people have told us about the joys of commuting. Now we are going to experience. Of course, I can’t complain too much. Our commute is only five miles.

March Pops In

March has popped in on us and it feels just a tad bit warmer.  We can still get below zero but it warms up into the twenties almost every day.  Of course, the days are also getting longer.  It is the kind of weather where people are more interested in getting outside.

With that in mind, Sunday (the 3^rd) was the snowmobile club’s annual trout derby on Gunflint Lake.  It appeared to be one of the best attended in several years.  Bruce and I went over for just a moment.  It looked like at least 100 people were gathered around.  It is a great family even with all ages finding something to do.  The winning fish weighed about 6 ½ pounds.  It was a good enough for the $500 first prize.  That’s not a bad reward for a morning’s fishing.  Gunflint looks rather barren this morning with everyone cleared off.  I have a small picture for you.  The main lodge at Gunflint is just barely visible in the background.

Bonnie from the outfitters also felt the urge to get outside for a bit this past week.  She met Janice from the Quetico Park at the gate to the Chik-Wauk Museum.  The two of them were going to snowshoe up to the top of Blueberry Hill.  Starting at the gate it is about 1 ½ miles up to the top of the hill.  Once on top you get a wonderful view down the Saganaga Channel.  Bonnie figured the up and down took about 2 hours total time.  By the time they got to the top she was ready to die but it was worth it.  On the top is a beautiful bench that Bob Baker Sr. built.  He is assembled it, then disassembled it, and a group of guys carried the pieces up where Bob put it back together again.  It is a great spot from which to absorb the forest and lakes spreading out in front of you.

Our dog musher, Adam, has been very busy giving rides to everyone around.  The warm days (up here daytime temperatures in the twenties are considered warm) have tempted lots of people to take a ride.  Last Saturday Adam was giving rides on the lake as he usually does.  A couple was in the sled and they all took off as planned.  Suddenly Adams was distracted for just a minute.  At the same time the sled’s runners went over a runted area.  In just a flash, Adam was off the sled and in the snow.  He jumped up and ran after the dogs yelling for them to stop.  They slowed down a bit and he tried to get the guests to use their feet as brakes.  Finally all the dogs stopped and Adam caught up to them.  It is a good reminder that Adam is not just along for the ride.  He has to concentrate all the time to keep control over everything.

Reservations for the summer are really coming in.  Every day we are surprised at how many people are calling to reserve their favorite cabin.  If you are thinking about coming our way this summer, give us a call so that we can hold your special cabin.

Moving Along on the Lake

One of the nice parts about living in the woods is that there is always something happening. It is nothing earth-shattering but just little quirts in life.


Take our weather as an example. You would think the temperature would be pretty consistent from one spot to another. Guess again. The other day Bonnie was driving to work. At the top of the Gunflint hill she happened to look at her car thermometer. It said 7 degrees above. Then as she went down the hill and in the side road to the outfitters, the temperature dropped. By the time she stopped behind the outfitters, her thermometer read 25 below! That is quite a change for such a short distance.

Animals living here are also great fun to watch. The other day we saw a snowshoe hare on the lake. Because the hare is white, we only saw it because of the speed at which it was running around. None of us has ever seen a hare on the ice. I did see another one at my house the other day. Unfortunately, he is probably not going to be around much longer. Yesterday when Bruce was driving home at 4:00 p.m., there was a lynx sitting on top of one of the snow banks in our driveway. Snowshoe hares are one of the lynx’s favorite meals.

Of course, the best things to watch are usually the fixes that people manage to get themselves into. Our neighbor stopped by at lunch yesterday. He had a half story to tell. Some guests had taken their 4-wheel ATV down to the east end of the lake to fish. They had, with difficulty, gotten way past the furthest summer home to the east. The snow was deep and they constantly had to back up and take a run to move forward. Eventually the transmission on the ATV broke. Now they are truly stuck in the middle of nowhere.

They walk in and get the 4-wheel drive pickup. Again the deep snow forces them to continually back up and take a run for it. Finally they gave up. Taking the transmission out of an ATV is a lot different than taking the transmission out of a truck.

So Saturday (the next day), they bring down their buddies’ two snowmobiles to try to tow the machine out. Problem is that the two front wheels of the ATV keep bogging down in the snow. Next they try to use shovels to hold the front wheels up. Then they try two small sleds under the wheels. No luck. Now they are in town to buy a heavier sled.

The men got back from town with four sleds. One went under each wheel. This let them tow the ATV to land without getting the tires bogged down in the snow. I imagine it was quite a project. Glad all that I had to do was write about it.

Signs of the Season

Sheryl has been out walking around the woods. She saw this owl on a hike to the high cliffs. I especially liked the snow surrounding the owl.


You know, we never complain about too much snow round here. Over the weekend we got 5-8 inches of the fluffy white stuff. Our snow banks seem to be a mile high. In addition the ski trails and snowmobile trails are wonderful. We have a few white puffy clouds today but basically no snow in the forecast - 20% which is just a face saver for the weatherman in case something comes.

The lake is just as full of ice. I have heard up to 24” of good ice. Certainly people are going all over for fishing. My favorite story comes from our neighbor. Bob is now going out and cutting about a three foot by four foot hole in the ice with his chain saw. He puts in line at about 3 feet down and watches the fish come up to his bait. When the fish is hooked, he doesn’t have to put his arm in a tiny hole to get the fish out. Bob just takes his handy landing net and nets the fish. Watching the fish is almost as much fun as catching the fish.

I know the next question is what does Bob do with this huge slab of ice from the hole? He uses a pole to slide the slab under the adjoining ice. That way the slab is out of his way and he doesn’t have to try to lift it out of the water. Bob is a pretty tricky fellow.

In case you haven’t heard, Bruce has agreed to have his head shaved this year for the Mush for the Cure. All the money goes for research into breast cancer research. He has to raise $2500 for the privilege of getting his hair shaved. If you are interested there is a wonderful picture of Bruce soliciting your donations at www.active.com/donate/2013mushforacure/brucekerfoot. I was the photographer of Bruce not the owl.

Over the weekend word was received that Ralph Griffis of Chik-Wauk Lodge died. He and his wife (who is still living) were the last private owners of Chik-Wauk. My favorite story of Ralph goes back some years to when they owned the lodge and I was a new bride. We had been having lots of rain and the lake waters were really rising. Ralph called me one day and asked if the water in Gunflint Lake was still coming up. I said yes but was quite confused. Ralph patiently explained to me that Gunflint Lake flows into Saganaga Lake (his lake) via the Granite River. One week after Gunflint stops coming up, Saganaga stops coming up. It takes that week to drain from Gunflint to Sag. It is pretty obvious when you think about it.

When I look outside, it is like we are in the middle of winter. There is, however, one small sign that spring is on the way. Our days are getting longer. All the extra minutes each day are finally adding up and now we have a couple extra hours of day light than on December 21st. This reverses itself on June 21st when the days start getting shorter.